Now that it's out and available, there's plenty to be excited about with the Galaxy S7 edge. A larger screen and bigger battery are joined by the return of waterproofing and an SD card slot to the Galaxy S line, and those four points alone are making those who have spent a year with the Galaxy S6 edge look longingly at the successor to their current phone.

But for as nice as the Galaxy S7 edge looks, you already have a phone — and while we all would love to be able to upgrade every time the new hotness hits the shelves, these things cost a lot of money. So if you have a Galaxy S6 edge and are considering an upgrade to the latest edge from Samsung, is it worth the cash? We're here to answer that question.

1. Hardware and specs

Last year, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge kicked off an entirely new design language for Samsung. The metal frame accented with two panes of glass — and in the case of the S6 edge, curved glass on front — was a gigantic step forward for the company. Things haven't really changed in 2016, and the Galaxy S7 edge is basically the same phone externally. The rear glass is now slightly curved to provide a bit better grip, and the camera "hump" on the back is greatly diminished — but despite those changes there isn't enough here in the hardware to make you lust after the new phone.

Internally, you start to notice a few differences. Being a year newer, you of course expect to have a faster processor and more RAM. You get a Snapdragon 820 processor here in the U.S. or Samsung's latest Exynos 8 octa-core processor most other places in the world, and both are a step up from last year's. You also have 4GB of RAM inside instead of 3GB, which doesn't mean a whole lot now but surely adds a bit of life in terms of futureproofing you for capabilities a year or two down the road. The only potential downside here is storage, where the Galaxy S6 edge actually offered 64 and 128GB internal storage options ... the Galaxy S7 edge has 32GB, and that's it.

The few hardware changes are big ones that make a difference in how you use the phone.

The big differentiators really come down to four main areas: screen size, battery size, waterproofing and an SD card slot. The first two really go hand-in-hand, with the Galaxy S7 edge bumping up its screen size to 5.5-inches from 5.1-inches in the GS6 edge. It keeps the same resolution and fantastic screen quality, but having a little extra real estate is a big feature for a lot of people. That larger screen gave Samsung more room to work with in terms of battery, and the GS7 edge makes a huge jump to 3600 mAh from just 2600 in the GS6 edge. Battery life is easily a full day on the newer model, which is something very few Galaxy S6 edge owners can claim to achieve on a regular basis and may be one of the biggest factors in considering an upgrade.

And on the other two features, it's pretty simple: the new Galaxy S7 edge can take in an SD card to expand your storage capabilities, and the phone can go for a swim for up to 30 minutes in water and be completely fine at the end. That SD card works for storing media, moving files to/from your computer and for storing some apps, but keep in mind that it doesn't work as proper "adoptable storage" as other Marshmallow phones offer. As for the waterproofing, it's a huge bonus — being able to spill a drink on the phone or drop it in the sink accidentally is great. Just don't expect the Galaxy S7 edge to be able to take the physical damage often associated with such accidents — it's still very fragile.

2. Software and performance

The Galaxy S7 edge ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and all of the associated changes from Samsung therein. There are big improvements in the base Marshmallow software, of course, and those who have latched onto using the edge screen software will be in for a treat with more edge panels and customization options. You get a nicer color palette, slicker animations and just a little less legacy cruft to deal with, but in terms of a wholistic experience it isn't far off from Samsung's take on Lollipop that shipped on the Galaxy S6 edge.

But this isn't too big of an argument to have at this point, as Samsung is deep into the rollout of Marshmallow to the last-generation phones at this point. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in regions around the world — yes, even via the carriers here in the U.S. — are starting to get Marshmallow updates with the same experience as you get out of the box on the Galaxy S7 edge.

Of course if you have one of the Galaxy S6 edge variants that hasn't been updated to Marshmallow yet, you'll have a little bit of envy seeing the latest software that's available on the Galaxy S7 edge. While we all know how difficult that can be, the update is coming to your current phone — and given the number of models that already have it, you're likely to see it sooner rather than later at this point. Don't go buying a new phone just to get Marshmallow when the update is on its way to your phone already.

When it comes to daily performance, things are pretty darn close between the two generations. As I touched on above, there are bumps in the processing speed and amount of RAM available in the Galaxy S7 edge, but that doesn't actually translate at this point into dramatically faster performance in any of your usual tasks. If you set the two phones side-by-side you'll notice fractionally-faster app opening times on the newer phone, but this isn't something you'd notice if you just used one or the other.

As I noted earlier, the better processor and increased RAM really only come into play later on down the road, after one or two years using the phone, where apps and software are even more demanding than today — at that point, you may be glad you had the extra horsepower to work with.

3. Camera quality

This is going to be a big point of contention for people on both sides. Samsung has changed the camera setup in the Galaxy S7 considerably, dropping to 12MP in order to get larger individual pixels; then putting that sensor behind a faster f/1.7 lens. Yes that's lower resolution than the 16MP you'll find in the Galaxy S6 edge, and yes the lens is faster than the f/1.9 of last year. It's a useless argument to talk about which one is "better" in terms of numbers here — it all comes down to the resulting photo quality.

Your Galaxy S6 edge's camera shouldn't feel inadequate in any way.

In daylight situations, it's actually debatable which phone takes better photos. Even set right next to the newer camera, the Galaxy S6 edge still takes beautiful, vibrant and crisp photos. If anything, the Galaxy S7 edge can come up short in some ways with poorly processed dark areas of light photos. In entirely dark scenes, the larger pixels and faster lens in the Galaxy S7 edge do make a difference in offering lots of clarity and low noise, but then again the Galaxy S6 edge is hardly a slouch in those shooting conditions.

To help illustrate the point, here are just a few snapshots to compare. (You'll notice the 16:9 image is from the Galaxy S6 edge, which I've chosen to not crop in in order to show the full native resolution of the sensor.)

When viewed at these normal web sizes, and even in full-resolution on your computer, you really can't tell the difference for the most part. Both take absolutely great photos in a variety of situations, and will blow away anyone that looks at them online, at home on your TV or even printed out at a reasonable size.

If you've been using a Galaxy S6 edge and loving the camera, as is the case for most folks who have it, you shouldn't be dying to get your hands on the Galaxy S7 edge simply for its camera quality. That's a bit surprising as we always expect things to get notably better with each new phone version, but in this case you can be happy with what you have.

4. The bottom line

Going through things section by section, it's actually somewhat surprising how little has changed overall from the Galaxy S6 edge to the brand-new Galaxy S7 edge. Assuming your Galaxy S6 edge has the latest software update it's running identical software to the GS7 edge, and either way the day-to-day performance is basically the same between the two. The hardware looks and feels almost the same, and packs all of the main features — including the great fingerprint sensor and top-notch screen quality.

That being said, the handful of things that have changed may be the ones to pull Galaxy S6 edge owners into considering a sale of their current phone to pick up the newer version.

The new features will make a difference in your everyday life, but are they worth $300-400?

The biggest is the battery. It's no secret that the Galaxy S6 edge has horrid battery life, and the Galaxy S7 edge is a full-day phone no matter what way you slice it. Then you add in the other part of the larger phone: the bigger screen. For many people, it's a bonus to have a bit more room to work with. You also now have an SD card slot, giving you potential for expanding your storage later on after purchase if you wish. And although the hardware externally hasn't changed much, it's now entirely waterproof — an increasingly important feature to consider when you drop upwards of $800 on a new phone.

Then there's the camera — one area of the Galaxy S6 edge that you aren't likely looking for an upgrade from. The Galaxy S7 edge's reworked camera will once again be in the running for the best smartphone shooter of the year, but it actually isn't a wholesale upgrade over what last year's camera offers. The new camera does appreciably better in low light situations, but in complex daylight situations it may not come out ahead of what the Galaxy S6 edge can do.

So with at most a year of time with your Galaxy S6 edge, should you consider upgrading to the Galaxy S7 edge? It's basically going to come down to how much you want these few basic features that are likely to play into your everyday life. The larger screen, dramatically bigger battery, SD card slot and waterproofing are all welcomed upgrades, but they alone might not be enough when you're facing a $300 to $400 differential in price after you sell your phone. If you stay with your current phone, you can know you're getting a lot of the same experience you'd find in the newer Galaxy S7 — and maybe that's enough for you to keep your wallet securely in your pocket.

Do you have a Galaxy S6 edge and are considering the upgrade to a Galaxy S7 edge? We want to know what you're thinking — sound off in the comments!

Reader comments

Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7 edge from the Galaxy S6 edge?

For the added battery life (hopefully) and the expandable storage, this makes a compelling argument for someone to upgrade. But if you shelled out the big bucks to get the 128 GB S6 edge, I don't know if I'd really feel an urge to upgrade. If I had an S5, I'd be running to the store to upgrade to a S7 variant.

Not enough for me to upgrade....waterproofing is nice, but on the s6 edge+, I have .2 inches more and 64gb of space that I'm not even close to filling up. If I do, I always have my 64gb USB drive I can connect to my phone through my USB cable. I do wish I had marshmallow though, seeing the new edge features and all...battery life...I'm at 3000mah and my phone last all day with no problem. Ram....I'm also at 4gb of ram. S6 edge+ for me for awhile longer, at least unail the next set of galaxy phones come out. Just hope there are enough features this go around to justify spending 500-700 after I sell my phone.

I didn't have an s6 but actuality went to get one in Saturday. The cost difference for the 7 was only $50 more so I went with that. First Samsung phone in 3 years and they've come a long way. 4 days in and I'm very pleased

I'm definitely happy with my upgrade from the S6 edge to the S7 edge. The screen size is perfect. Just smaller than the Note 5 and S6 edge+ which is perfect for my hand size. Battery life is great, camera is still hear, and the phone is definitely snappy. One thing no one talks about in the reviews is how this phone works with the Gear VR. This thing runs so much cooler than the S6 edge did. I was able to play Gunjack for over an hour with no issues and still was downloading updates in the background. The added weight from the battery also makes the grip on the phone feel much more secure when you hold it.

Why would I downgrade to a GS7 from my already perfect (for me) Moto X 2014, which has been on Marshmallow for three months, and has a true active display that runs circles around whatever that is on the GS7? It communicates with me, I can use the thing completely hand-less if I want. No carrier bloat crap. Way better audio with or without headphones. Better cellular radios and call quality. But, the Galaxy S series are the cool hipster phones, I guess. I'll pass.

I upgraded from the S6 edge to the S7 edge mostly because I like having a new handset every year but also for the battery life, the larger screen, and Doze since Marshmallow hasn't arrived on Verizon's S6 yet. I do miss having 64 gb of internal memory and would prefer a device without the SD. Before, I only had 1 drive to save my data on. Now with 2, browsers, apps, and the camera don't know whether to save to the internal memory or the SD card even though it's already set. Believe it or not, I was actually considering skipping the S7 because they brought back SD support but the S7 edge in gold is just too gosh darn gorgeous.

Bigger battery,expandable storage,waterproof(resistant),larger screen(if that is a positive for you),incremental gains in chipset and camera. I think that if you are in a position to do so and want too,then yes,in a pretty substantial way.

I sold my gs6 edge plus loved that phone. But after I saw what the gs7 was bring to the table it was bye bye gs6 hello gs-7 . This phone is a major go the fill in hand ...well you'll have to play with it to believe but not one that's Tethered to that long cord ask the guys at the Samsung center to let you handle the one they have behind the counter you'll be sold . And to think the gs6 edge plus was the best looking phone...it was

I have the 6 edge 128gb, I'm on tmobile jump and due for my once a year upgrade, at the cost of extending my 18 month payment plan of course. So I'm considering the jump since I've been paying for it all along and this time next year I'll be able to jump again when the 8 comes out. Jump is not cheap so I would almost be doing a disservice not jumping.

Pros: bigger battery life , water proof, SD not so much since I had ready hsve the 128gb. Screen size ,egh, worried about one hand use

Cons: no adaptable storage, you would think Re introducing the SD card and low internal storage samsung would offer this why not?

No buyer's remorse so far. The S6 edge is a great smartphone, but been able to use an SD card with my music and a bigger screen made decide to get the S7 edge. Only thing I regret is that, by the time I decide to get the S7 edge there only were silver and white left.

Pay full price for your first phone, sell it within a a week, get maximum resale, buy it back a week later for $100 less, the when the next thing arrives sell your current phone and start the process again, costs around $100 each tine

Saying that I sold my S7 Edge for $700 bought the Gold Nexus 6p while they have them for $425 with the speck case... And not missing my S7 Edge one bit... So almost $300 to the good

If the G5's camera holds up against the s6e, I'm upgrading to the G5. Else, I'm going to wait. Battery life and timely access to security updates are my biggest gripes about the s6e. Being stuck on Samsung's software update cycles is just the pits and I don't want to stay on it any longer than I have to. The inability to load an AOSP ROM on this because of the Exynos chip is the other gripe. Won't be the case here in the US thanks to the 820, but I don't have a great feeling about the S7.

I "upgraded" to the S7 edge from Note5. Still have a week left to decide if I like it better or not. So far it's pretty amazing but I already miss the S-Pen. I really hope Sammy drops a duel edge note6 this fall. That's my dream phone.

That is the toughest choice in my opinion. My wife and I went to our local Sprint Store Saturday. Even though I like the design and feel of the S7 Edge I really can't give up the S-Pen because I use it daily. My wife on the other hand decided to switch out from the Note 5 and go with the 7 edge because she doesn't use a lot of the features the Note series has compared. She loves her new phone.

Sticking with my S6E. It already has Marshmallow (thanks, Sprint), and from what I'm reading, the camera on the S7 is not an improvement.

One of the biggest sticking points is the IR blaster. The S7 does not have, but my S6 does. And while I've only used it a handful of times to take control of TVs in waiting rooms, it's a really nice feature to have.

Absolutely upgrade your phone. My experience with the S6: overheating, horrible battery life, daily lock-ups lagginess and stuttering software. My new S7 Edge has eliminated all these problems. It may be the perfect phone.

I'll throw my two cents in here, since that's a question I wrestled with a little (coming from a Note 4 to an S7).

1) Samsung has seemingly made it a priority to eliminate some of the lag/bloat of Touchwiz (of course they started this right AFTER they released the Note 4, so I was screwed). That was one of my biggest issues with the Note.

2) I had battery issues with my Note, but I believe that was because the phone was overheating while fast-charging (which I wasn't aware could potentially hurt the battery more than normal). Shouldn't be an issue now that I'm aware.

3) The S7 features a SIGNIFICANT upgrade in low-light photography. While some people may (correctly) argue that daylight photography is more important since it's probably more common, we've reached a point where most flagship phones take great pictures in the daytime. Having low-light ability is a huge plus, and a differentiator (I had the One M7 which did this as well, but didn't have nearly the same daylight capability).

4) Best screen in the business. I was an AMOLED hater early on (when they were incredibly over-saturated and ridiculous looking), but it's hard not to look at the S7's screen without being wowed.

5) Return of SD card slot + waterproofing--I have never dropped a phone into water (that I can remember), but having one that is IP68 rated is still a relief, and it's great to have a phone this slim/beautifully designed that ALSO has a microSd slot. 32 gb of internal space is more than enough if I can throw in 64 gb more via card (free at Best Buy with an S7 preorder).

Sorry about the long post! I totally agree that if you've had a bad experience with a phone manufacturer you should take a step back before upgrading with them, but there have been articles on the web saying basically the same thing I am: That Samsung seems to be listening to what their fans want, and are improving their phones with each generation.

I made the upgrade mainly for the battery life. The S6 Edge was a great phone, but that battery was atrocious. The larger screen, waterproofing, and SD slot are also awesome, so for me it is a worthy upgrade.

Main reason I upgraded to was the battery. I could go to work and have my s6 on the charger 3 times throughout the day to feel comfortable leaving. I leave work now with over 50% battery. Compared to a dead phone 2 hours before I leave without charging. The Gear VR is a great bonus. This thing has yet to get anywhere near as hot as my S6 did and it feels a bit better in the hand.

But physically, it is much more similar. Even if Samsung didn't eol it, it would make no sense for them to do an edge version around the time of Note launch like they did with S6e+. They may do a note edge again at that time tho. Sony has done 6 month release schedules and I can see Samsung using the edge+ to gauge feedback for a single Edge size.

Good points one day the nexus guys will realize that most of the features there waiting to get Samsung had it two years ago. That's why when the nexus folks Brag about having the latest version of Android I say Meh..

You got it wrong. One day the Samsung buyers who upgrade with each version will realize that they were wasting their money on over rated bling tied to expensive carriers, with a phone that will get one OS upgrade and is loaded with boat and security holes. It may even be after all your personal data has been hacked. Nexus buyers realize that they can have it all at a fraction of the price. Plus get nice cheap service in Project Fi if they want or switch any other carrier at will. Go ahead, enjoy your $700 phone. Haha

We intend to keep enjoying the best looking, longer battery of any phone right now , best camera , expanded memory , most security phone (knox),better resale value phone in the android world. Does it cost more then any other android phone sure it does but this thing is worth every penny by the way all my samsungphones are on 6.0 now

I upgraded too, from the s6. Highly satisfied so far. Way more snappy. Camera is just as good normally, better low light, super fast focus. Looks great. Dropped a 128 micro SD card in so plenty of space. Oh yeah the battery is 3 times as good easily. At least with the way and where I use my phone.